Murtha: Abuse ruins U.S. moral high ground

"We have lost the moral high ground," U.S. Rep. John Murtha said yesterday in a telephone interview.

Since the war began in Iraq the United States has sought to keep the moral high ground.

Now the country needs to fix America's shattered image here and abroad, e added, since the exposure of photographs of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib in Baghdad created disdain and disgust worldwide.

"This sets us back."

The former Vietnam War veteran goes to hospitals almost every week. He sees other veterans without arms and legs and eyes. And something like this "horrible" situation is an incentive for extremists to maim and kill more Americans, he believes.

"It breaks my heart."

Murtha, D-Johnstown, said he is not sure the problem is fixable. He also is not sure firing Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld will help.

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Even though Murtha feels that Rumsfeld deceived the American public about the investigation into alleged prisoner abuse in Iraq, he admits he is hesitant to ask for Rumfeld's resignation until he obtains more facts. Yesterday, Rumsfeld publicly apologized and took full responsibility for the events, according to Associated Press reports.

"But this is bad," Murtha added about how the prisoner abuse investigation sat unread on the defense secretary's desk since January or February.

What is not bad is Spc. Joseph M. Darby's reporting of the alleged torture of Iraqi detainees. "It was a marvelous thing Darby did. When he comes home I would like to meet and talk with him."

A Somerset County native, Darby reportedly was the first soldier to tip off Army investigators about the alleged abuse at the Iraqi prison.

Murtha partially blames the conditions in the prison spinning out of control because of a lack of adequate troops in Iraq.

"They only had half the number of troops they needed to control the prison. Many soldiers operate outside the job they were trained to do. Short change people and this is what you get."

The United States needs to establish security in Iraq. It needs more troops to do it, Murtha said.

"It is absolutely outrageous that we have an inadequate force and that we don't have security," he said.

Thursday, the Pentagon went to Congress with a request for another $25 billion. Murtha indicated he would back additional funding for more troops.

At the same time, the ranking Democrat on House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee recently has held two press conferences back-to-back to voice his frustration with the Bush administration dismissive attitude toward Congress. "This is the most arrogant administration I've ever dealt with. They don't talk with Congress at all, and they don't listen."